96 Wythe Street in Brooklyn, Image Credit: CityLand.

Court found that application was not filed within the statutory time period of one year. On January 27, 2016, the New York State Supreme Court denied a Brooklyn developer’s petition to reverse a Department of Finance decision to not grant a tax abatement. The Developer, 96 Wythe Acquisitions, filed the petition after the Department of Finance denied the application for the tax abatement because it was not filed within the mandatory one-year requirement. 96 Wythe Acquisition LLC filed plans with the NYC Department of Buildings back in April 2013 to construct a hotel in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. (more…)

The current City Planning Commission. Image Courtesy: DCP.

The country’s very first zoning resolution was adopted in New York City in 1916. Called the “Building Zone Plan,” the new regulations dictated building use and physical characteristics, such as set-backs, to organize development of a burgeoning City. In 1961, the zoning resolution was overhauled to what is today the primary land use document of the City. The new plan addressed the realities of population growth and encouraged public amenities, such as public plazas as an incentive for bonus floor area. The Zoning Resolution is a living document amended frequently in order to address the City’s needs and unforeseen changes as they arise. Approximately 1/3 of the City has been rezoned since the 1961 Zoning Resolution to support and encourage smart development of the City’s diverse and ever-changing neighborhoods, due in part to the oversight and commitment of the City Planning Commission. The Commission was established by the 1936 Charter to plan for the City’s orderly growth and development. It was the City’s first permanent planning agency with the authority to draft and amend zoning regulations and create master plans. Before its creation, land use was loosely administered by zoning laws that fell short of a comprehensive plan, Board of Estimate decisions, and political forces.

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When Robert C. Lieber left the New York City Economic Development Corporation to replace Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed Seth Pinsky to lead EDC through the end of the administration. As EDC President, Pinsky must now shepherd through such legacy projects as World Trade Center, Hudson Yards, Yankee Stadium, and Willets Point. Less than a month after his promotion, and with less than 700 days remaining in the Bloomberg Administration, Pinsky discussed with CityLand EDC’s goals and challenges.

Investment Banking and Big Law. As a sophomore in high school, Pinsky spent a summer working in the library of an investment bank founded by James Wolfensohn, who would later become President of the World Bank, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. Pinsky moved to the City to attend Columbia University, where he graduated with a degree in Ancient History. Upon graduating from college, he returned to the bank as an analyst, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Looking back, he sees his banking days as a detour— albeit a beneficial one for the financial skills he gained—from his longstanding goal of going to law school and working for the government. After two years at the bank, Pinsky left to attend Harvard Law School. (more…)

Council Member Melinda Katz is Chair of the Land Use Committee, a position she has held since 2002, when she was first elected to the City Council. The City’s land use review process requires that almost all major land use initiatives, with few exceptions, pass her desk for review. During her tenure as Chair, Katz “worked as a team” with the Bloomberg administration on the City-initiated rezonings, the largest rezoning initiative since 1961, covering roughly onesixth of the City including Hudson Yards, Greenpoint-Williamsburg, Highline-West Chelsea, Downtown Brooklyn, and the Jamaica Plan. On an unseasonably warm January day, CityLand sat down with Katz to get a feel for her perspective on land use issues

“I live in the same house I grew up in.” The daughter of two Julliard-graduates, Katz was born and raised in Forest Hills, Queens. After graduating from Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Katz attended the University of Massachusetts where she graduated summa cum laude. She then chose to attend St. John’s University School of Law because she “was young and wanted to save the world.” During law school, Katz interned with the Legal Aid Society, United States Attorney’s Organized Crime Unit, and United States District Court Judge Michael B. Mukasey. (more…)